Travel 101: Benefits and Tips for Travelling Solo

It has been 4 months since my last solo trip to Perth. It took me a lot of courage to decide to travel alone. I was considering between a few countries – Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia but decided to choose Perth as I really love the Australian culture. The next thing I knew, I booked a flight immediately! Up till today, I am still having withdrawal symptoms haha! bigsmile Here, I just wanna share some of the benefits and tips for travelling solo! smile

Benefits

Experiencing freedom
The best thing about travelling alone is you get to do what you want. During my trip, I woke up as late as I wanted to. I visited places that I wanted to go and ate the food that I love. I love how I get to spend some me time or just chilling by the river alone and enjoying the breeze. I even went to the beach and sit for a few hours just to view the sunset and people watching. I felt great doing things alone without anyone judging or answering to anyone.

Meeting new people and discovering yourself
I went on a day tour and met other travelers from Australia, New York and even Norway. Being an introvert, I never knew that I can pick up the courage to strike up conversations with strangers and talk about anything under the sun. I even met a fellow Singaporean during the trip! It was really fun chatting with them and talking about our countries, our lives, everything.

Building confidence and courage
I relied mostly on myself to get around by looking at maps and navigating with my mobile phone. It’s not easy to navigate in a strange city alone and by overcoming this, you will feel more confident overcoming over other obstacles.

Sense of accomplishment
It’s amazing when you think back “Hey! I’ve traveled alone!” The feeling of this accomplishment is beyond description. I felt great walking and shopping on the streets of Perth, or perhaps just communicating with total strangers, ordering that cup of coffee from an indie cafe at Victoria Park, or even searching for Crawley Edge Boatshed I have been wanting to visit, and I did! You can’t buy that feeling and experience.

Tips

Plan your itinerary
Having proper research before your trip is essential. Granted that it is exciting to venture randomly, I personally do not wish to miss out on anything that I may regret after my trip. Book your accommodation in advance. I booked with Airbnb again, even though my experience in Melbourne was not ideal. Perhaps, it was the privacy needed with the hubby previously. My Airbnb experience in Perth was awesome. The owner is a Malaysian and her house was really accessible to most of the areas as the bus stop is just across the road. I had a room all to myself and the house was very well maintained. She had two adorable dogs and I would play with them when I returned to the apartment. We exchanged contacts and I told her that she may visit me if she comes to Singapore, I made a new friend! smile

Be street smart
I traveled around Perth with just a phone with me, plus a local SIM card. Google Maps is your best friend. I relied mostly on Transperth to plan my journey from Point A to B. Do not show your fear or look lost, else you will attract the wrong kind of attention. Seek help when needed but do judge properly before approaching anyone.

Budget your trip
I planned to keep my expenses within $1500 for the entire trip, including airfare, accommodation, transport, etc. I did my research and looked for coupons and deals from sites like CupoNation, where there are various discounts from Scoot, Agoda, Zuji, so on and so forth. That 20% saved can be used for your other expenses, why not right?

Remember, solo traveling is not scary. Throw away that fear and start exploring, you’ll be amazed by what you can achieve. Have fun! smile